All Fear is Gone
by Lisa Smithers
Summary: When Mike is killed in battle, how will the other rangers handle their grief? How will the rangers react when Mike's little brother, Jacob, shows up on the front steps of the Shiba house to take his brother's place? -Rated for violence.
1. Death and Change

Ji's pov

Mike was dead. He had been for three days now. We still couldn't believe it. All the rangers knew the risks when they accepted the morpher, but they were a lot more real now. Mike had taken a fatal blow at the previous battle, and we couldn't even bury him. The nighlocks had taken his body. The Shiba house was a lot quieter now. I should have enjoyed it. I didn't.

I no longer heard Mike's jokes. In fact, I heard no jokes at all. The rangers were barely functioning now. With Mike gone, they just weren't the same. Jayden had withdrawn into himself, Kevin's temper had been let loose, Mia never stopped crying, and Emily, she was bent on revenge. I hadn't seen her away from the training yard since... then.

They'd fought one battle since Mike passed away. It was a miracle they came out of it alive.

They weren't working together. At all.

They had defeated the nighlock, but only by chance. Xandred must have been having a bad day, because the nighlock he sent wasn't nearly as strong as he'd sent before. I hated the idea that we had to do it, but it was our only choice.

Without someone of the forest bloodline, the rangers couldn't form the megazord.

They had used their zords separately to defeat the previous nighlock. That wasn't going to work forever. I knew what I needed to do. But I wasn't sure if I could. It was still too fresh for the rangers and I. I knew I would try to behave myself, but I wasn't sure how the rangers would react. Especially with how violent Kevin has been acting lately. He nearly got into a fight because Jayden accidentally stepped on his toe.

Even so, it- it was our only option.

(Next day)

I heard the door bell ring and I knew exactly who it was. Jayden was sitting in a chair near the door, but didn't act as if he heard it. He probably didn't. Mia didn't care enough to answer. I walked to the door and opened it.

A young boy stood there. I was shocked. I had expected the boy to be a little older, instead, he looked no more than fourteen. He had the same skin tone, hair color, and build as Mike, similar bone structure even. For a moment, but only a moment, I thought it was actually Mike. That he had some how come back from the dead. Then I saw his eyes. They were dark. Nearly black. It was a striking difference from his brother's leafy green ones. When I looked closer however, I saw they had a green tint to them.

"Jacob." I said, "Thank you for coming."

I invited him in.

Jacob's pov

'Be strong.' I thought, 'Mike would want me to continue his work. This is what I have to do.'

I looked around the Shiba house. It was hard, but for the time being, I forced myself to believe this was my destiny. My duty. I could feel the tension in the air and I knew that things were bad. I would do what I could to fix it. It was hard enough for Ji to act as usual with his own grief. Adding the other rangers' was too much, and I would share that burden with him to the full extent of my ability. 'For the sake of duty,' I thought, 'I am going to pretend that I don't know the previous green ranger personally. I have only heard of him.' I repeated this in my mind as I walked into the room. I felt the rangers' eyes drilling holes in me. 'Focus. I can do this.' I thought, 'For- for Mike.'

"I am Jacob Richardson." I said, "Mike's brother." The blue ranger walked up to me, Kevin, I think. He stood over me, trying to intimidate me. I had to admit, it was working.

"He is not dead!" He said, "We don't need you! Go away shrimp! He's coming back! There's no need for a replacement!" Those words stung. I forced myself to ignore them.

"I realize you feel that way." I said, after taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. "But Mike would want us to continue the mission." I said, "He would want us to keep fighting until every last nighlock is gone."

"Don't you get it!?" Kevin said, "He's not gone! He's coming back!" I wasn't sure how to answer that. Kevin had no idea how badly I wanted that. For Mike to come walking through the door telling us he was fine. That the nighlock had simply put him in a cell for a few days. I felt my emotions acting up. I pushed them away. There was nothing that would convince the blue ranger that Mike was dead so I tried a different approach.

"I am here as a temporary replacement. I will do my best to fill in his shoes until he returns." I said.

"We don't want you." Kevin muttered. The right words flowed out of my mouth.

"No, you don't," I responded, "but you need me." I turned around and walked away, leaving him standing there. There was nothing more to say.

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A/N: I know Kevin and the rest are quite OOC, but keep in mind they're grieving for Mike, and they're also coming to terms with just how dangerous their job actually is. I'd love any and all reviews.


	2. Breaking Points

Jacob's pov

(Next day)

I heard a knock at the door. I walked over and opened it. No one was there. I looked down to see an envelope addressed to all of us.

I picked it up and took it inside. I stared at it.

It was very obviously written by a nighlock. Scribbly hand writing.

I walked through the living room on my way to ask Ji what to do about it when Kevin stopped me.

"What is this?" He asked.

"I don't know." I answered, "I found it at the door." Despite my protests, saying that we should ask Ji what to do with it, he opened the envelope. He pulled out what looked to be a picture, though I couldn't see what it was due to the fact that he was facing me.

His eyes widened, then narrowed and he threw the envelope to the couch and stormed off.

Now I was curious. I wanted to see the picture.

I picked it up and turned it over. My heart stopped when I saw it. It was Mike. Very, very obviously dead. He lay on the ground in a heap, a hole through his chest. Dried blood crusted the corner of his mouth and his hands were stiff on the ground. He hadn't began to decay yet however, implying he hadn't been dead long. I guessed a few hours. Something in me tingled.

Something wasn't right with this. 'Just accept it.' I thought, 'He's never coming back.'

I looked again at the picture. This time the even finer details. His eyes were open. I decided that that was what bothered me most.

I wanted to reach out and close them.

'That's not possible!' I reminded myself, 'Get control of yourself! You're getting as bad as the rangers! Focus! You have to finish the mission!' I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could almost hear my brothers voice.

'"It's okay. Everything's going to be alright. I'm fine. I'll just be gone for a while. Do me a favor and fill in for a while, okay? I'll be back soon. Just watch for me."' I wanted that more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. But it hadn't happened. 'You are dead.' I thought, 'I have to move on. I can't rely on your strength anymore. It's my turn to step up.'

'"Good boy."' Again, his voice. I opened my eyes and let out a gasp. I calmed myself down and cleared my mind. 'This is what he would want.' I thought, 'Deep breaths.'

I steeled myself to the conversation that was to come. I played over it in my mind so that no happenings would come as a surprise or shock. I slid the picture back into the envelope. Kevin knew it's content, but I doubted he would do anything but brew about it, trying to convince himself Mike was alive.

I would show the rangers and Ji this after supper.

 **Daisuke's pov**

The phone rang and I answered it.

"I can't do this anymore." A voice, which I recognized as Ji, said desperately.

"The nighlock-" he continued.

"I know, we got the picture as well." I said.

"Please, Daisuke, take my place." Ji said, "I can't handle it. The rangers need some one who is capable of caring for them. At this point, I am not." I understood. Completely. Mike had been like a son to Ji. A brother to the rangers.

While I was grieved, it was nothing compared to what Ji and the rangers were feeling.

I could only imagine how I would feel if Cody some how was killed. "I understand. I will make arrangements for us to swap positions." I said, "I will be over there tomorrow. Once I get there you may leave to go to the gate."

"Thank you Daisuke." Ji said, "Thank you so much." He sounded as if a hundred pounds had been lifted off him.

 **(Next day)**

I walked up and Ji instantly opened the door.

He began thanking me over and over, and over. I could see the stress in his eyes.

Ji was a strong man, but everyone has their breaking point. Ji had already packed his bags and put them in my van. I had a servant drive him to the Gate. Inside, I saw why Ji had left so quickly. Jayden just sat there moping, Mia had tears dripping down her face, and Kevin was constantly trying to pick a fight. I found Emily in the training yard, beating the dummy with a force I had never seen from her before.

Mike's death destroyed the rangers.

I wasn't sure why Xandred hadn't sent a more powerful attack yet. This was the perfect time to take over the world. I saw movement beside me and turned to look. Standing there was a boy, fourteen, fifteen maybe.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The replacement." He sighed, "My name is Jacob."

"You're but a child." I remarked.

"So I've been told." Jacob said, looking out at the rangers.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Two days." He answered.

He motioned for me to follow him out of the rangers' range of hearing. "Once Xandred finds out the happenings here we're dead. We've got to fix this. I've been holding together the team best I can, but-" I cut him off,

"What is your relation to the previous green ranger?"

"I'm his brother." He answered.

"For being so close to him, you seem relatively unfazed by his death." I commented.

"I have to be." Jacob answered, "I owe it to him to do my best and remain focused on what is now my duty." This sounded like a recited answer. It was as if he had been anticipating this conversation. Interesting.

"How old are you Jacob?" I asked.

"14." He answered, "I turn 15 in December."

"Youngest ranger in history." I mused.

"Yes, now, as I was saying," Jacob said, "We've got to get this figured out. We won't last much longer if we don't start acting like a team. The question is: how? How do we snap the rangers out of their slump?"

"Some things just take time." I said, "It's only been a few days. Give them some time."

"Time is exactly what we don't have." Jacob said, "They need to straighten up, and straighten up fast."

"They don't think he's dead." I said, "That will take awhile to sink in."

Jacob was about to answer, but hesitated, saying, "I know." It was silent for a moment, but Jacob spoke up again. "I don't know how things used to be around here," he said, "But I can guarantee you I will try my best to return it to whatever it was." I wanted to tell him to relax, take it easy for a while, but that wasn't possible. There were things that needed done. Over the next few days I saw just how dire our position was. Jacob had taken over the other rangers chores because if he had left them to them, they wouldn't get done. We were both working all day. When we weren't working, Jacob had me help him in Kendo. He knew the basics pretty well, but he hadn't been taught anything advanced. He was a fast learner I noticed, practicing when ever he got the chance. 'A child this young should not have to carry such a burden.' I thought, 'But there is no other option.'

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	3. Sketched in Earth

Jacob's pov

I heard a knock on the door.

"Get that would you?" Daisuke asked me. I walked to the door and opened it. When again no one was standing there, I knelt and picked up another envelope. Against my better judgment, I opened it. I froze. It was a picture, worse than the last. I nearly dropped it.

The nighlock had tied Mike's body to the top of a post and left it in the sun. His skin was shriveling, and he didn't even look human anymore. Birds had pecked at his flesh, eating it away to the bone in several areas.

Possibly the most disturbing for me though, was the bird sitting in the hole in his chest. Either that, or the fact that the birds and bugs had eaten his eyes, leaving only the sockets. I stared at the picture, unable to decide what to make of it. The first picture had been bad enough. I took a deep breath and turned away, announcing that I was going to take a walk. Daisuke stopped me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. I debated for a moment whether or not to show him the picture. _The less people that see it the better._ I thought.

"Yeah." I answered, "Everything's fine."

I started walk off again.

"Are you sure?" Daisuke asked.

"I-" I paused, "I'll be back in a bit."

Daisuke's pov

I watched as he walked out the door and around to the forest trail. The same route that Mike always took when he couldn't make sense of himself. I couldn't help but wonder what he had found at the door, but I could worry about that later. I pushed myself back to the problem at hand. I guessed the most likely to snap out of their slump quickly would be Mia, but even that seemed far off. The picture had been keeping Mike's death fresh in their minds.

Jacob's pov

I walked through the forest, wanting revenge but knowing it wasn't right.

"They can't do that to you." I thought aloud.

 _But they are,_ my brain returned, _Revenge, though sweet, is wrong. If you try to inflict as much pain upon the enemy only for revenge, then how are you any better than the nighlock?_

I knew my brain was right, but seeing that picture... It still hurt.

I stopped in a clearing and sat next to a creek. I took a drink from the water. I had been back here before, several times. I wasn't sure why I liked this spot more than others, but I did. It helped me think.

I stood up, noticing for the first time that the ground was uneven. The more I looked at them the more I realized that they were in the shape of the kata I was learning. Kata Ichi Ju Ni.

I stepped into the pattern, slowly doing the form. It was on the last stance that I knew.

This was Mike's doing. He had done this kata enough here that he engraved it into the ground. Impressed his hours and hours of hard work into the dirt beneath his feet.

I looked to the ground. Imprinted there was a foot print. As if someone had stepped there after a good rain, and then there had been quite a while without rain to seal the print in. It had to be Mike's. He was everywhere. I both loved it and hated it. He dedication was sketched in earth for all to see.

I wanted him to come back, but at the same time, I also wanted him to stay dead somehow. I didn't entirely understand my feelings on that matter. _Focus._ I reminded myself, _I'll deal with this later- after the nighlock are gone._ I continued, practicing the kata several times. Then, having calmed down and relaxed myself, I went back. I was ready for the real world again. I knew I would have to see the picture again, so I braced myself for it.

The image had already seared itself in my mind, and I knew there was no way I'd ever get rid of it. The only thing I could do was get used to it, not only so that that picture in particular wouldn't affect me, but also to keep similar pictures from having a negative impact on me. I let the picture come up in my mind, but this time I made sure to keep my distance.

 _This picture is used as a prompt. This picture is a trap._ I thought, _The nighlock are trying to manipulate and mix up our emotions to the point where we are unable to fight. They have succeeded with the others. Only you have the advantage of seeing the decomposition-_

My thoughts changed there, back to the picture.

"No! Focus!" I muttered. _Decomposition. Decomposition of the previous team. Not my brother._ I thought, pulling back to the previous train of thought,

I _know what they're trying to do. For that reason I have access to a certain level of immunity. I just have to remind myself to use it. If we are to win this war, I have to keep a focused and logical view point._

 **"I can do this."**

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A/N: Poor Jacob, things have been so hard on him. And now with the team not functioning... How's he going to work this out? Reviews please!


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